Board & National Advisory Council

The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation led by three full-time staff members. It is governed by a 15-member voluntary board of directors comprised of local business and community leaders. Board and staff are supported by members of the National Advisory Council, who provide counsel and assistance on matters of a national and global scale.

National Advisory Council:

Dennis Bamber

Founder, MusicFactoryDirect.com

Mr. Bamber started the small company, the Woodwind & Brasswind, in 1978 in South Bend, Indiana. Since then, it has grown into one of the largest sellers of musical instruments in the world with an international reputation. He is also the majority shareholder in the French retail and internet music company, WoodBrass.Com. Mr. Bamber holds a Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in performance from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Heidi Castleman

Professor of Viola at the Juilliard School of Music, New York, New York

Ms. Castleman is a founding trustee of Chamber Music America and served as its President from 1983 to 1987. She also serves on the board of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and has been a panelist and committee member of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Wu Han

Concert Pianist and Artistic Co-Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York, New York

Ms. Han, along with David Finckel, serve as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. They also founded ArtistLed, classical music's finest musician-directed and Internet-based recording company. They are also Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in Silicon Valley. Prior to that, she served with David Finkel for three seasons as Artistic Director of SummerFest in La Jolla, California.

John A. Haynes was formerly the Judd and Mary Lou Leighton Director for the Performing Arts at the University of Notre Dame, as well as the chief executive officer of the California Center for the Arts, a six-building regional arts complex in San Diego County. Prior to these endeavors, Mr. Haynes spent ten years as a program executive at CBS-TV and Viacom and managed a film and television production company in Beverly Hills. A native of Santa Fe, he studied Philosophy and Classics at the University of Texas in Austin.

Paul Katz

Professor of Cello and Art of the String Quartet at New England Conservatory, Boston, Massachusetts

Mr. Katz was cellist with the Cleveland Quartet, appearing in over 2500 concerts on four continents. Appearances included programs at the White House, "CBS Sunday Morning", NBC’s "Today Show" and "The Grammy Awards." He is a former student of Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse and Leonard Rose.

Massimo Mercelli

Artistic Director, Emilia Romagna Festival, Imola, Italy

Mr. Mercelli is a concert flutist who, at the age of nineteen, played principal flute at La Fenice Theatre in Venice. As Artistic Director of the Emilia Romagna Festival, Mr. Mercelli presents Fischoff's Grand Prize Winner in approximately six concerts during the summer festival. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the European Festival Association.

Formerly a member of the Fischoff Board of Directors, Mr. Rougeau became Dean of Boston College Law School on July 1, 2011. He previously served as a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame. An expert in Catholic social thought, he received his A.B. magna cum laude from Brown University, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Anna M. Thompson is the Executive Director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Alys Stephens Center, where she oversees four venues presenting multidisciplinary programs. The ASC is also the home of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. From 2007-2015, Thompson served as executive director of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame. During her tenure, 43 new works were commissioned on behalf of the University. She received her bachelor's degree from Albion College and her master's from Western Michigan University.